Larb (Laab) ลาบ
A warm minced-meat salad with lime, fish sauce, chilli, shallots, mint and toasted rice powder.
- Spice:
- 🌶🌶🌶 Spicy
- Also spelled:
- laab, larb moo, larb gai, laap
What is Larb?
Larb is minced pork, chicken, beef or duck cooked briefly and tossed with lime juice, fish sauce, dried chilli, shallot, mint and coriander. What makes it is khao khua — toasted sticky rice ground to a nutty powder.
It is the national dish of Laos and a pillar of Isan food in Thailand, eaten with sticky rice and raw vegetables.
Northern Thailand has its own larb (larb muang): no lime, but a dry spice mix with long pepper, cumin and more, sometimes with raw meat and blood.
Regional versions
Isan larb is bright and sour; northern larb is spiced and earthy. Nam tok is its grilled-meat cousin.
How to order it
“Larb moo” (pork), “larb gai” (chicken). Order sticky rice with it.
Watch: Larb on YouTube
Embedded from the creators’ own channels (Mark Wiens, Pailin's Kitchen). View counts as of 14 Oct 2026.
Top 3 places not to miss for Larb
Only places backed by the MICHELIN Guide, reputable food press or a creator who filmed there; each one shows its source. We list fewer rather than pad the list.
- 1. Som Tam Jay So ร้านส้มตำเจ๊โสSilom, Bangkok
A real-deal Isan stall for fiery papaya salad, larb neua and charcoal grilled chicken.Larb neua (beef) is a house favourite.
- 2. Somtam NuaSiam Square, Bangkok
Easy-to-reach classic for som tam, fried chicken, larb and grilled pork.
- 3. Lab Sanam Keela ร้านลาบสนามกีฬาChiang Rai (3 hours north of Chiang Mai), Chiang Mai
Northern-style larb, one of the best restaurants in Chiang Rai per Mark Wiens.Northern-style larb in Chiang Rai.
Source: Mark Wiens Google Maps ↗
More by city: Bangkok food map · Chiang Mai food map